Health Care Program

Suan Luang School for Disadvantaged Children and Orphans

Urgent Medical Attention. The Children from the Suan Luan Facility have no access to medical help. The facility is about 45 minutes drive from Luang Prabang, Laos and even if the children could get into Luang Prabang they cannot afford to pay for any medical attention. The government has no budget for any medical help. Some of the children had been suffering serious ailments for up to two years and hadn't been to a doctor. The ailments included coughing up blood, severe anaemia, stomach ailments, urinary ailments, and heavy periods as well as warts and skin infections. The children got dressed up as best they could and we bundled the more serious cases into a mini van and took them to the clinic.Some of the children had never been in a car or minivan before and became car sick from the smooth ride. They are more used to Tuk Tuks. We had condition forms that had been completed the previous April by a visiting doctor as being urgent but they had still not been attended to. The clinic we attended was very good with Xray, pathology, scanning and pharmacy all together - which we noted in case any of us had to go to a doctor. The main doctor was Lao but had been educated in China and spoke English well. The children completed scans, and blood tests as well as general health assessment and were given medication to correct the issues. Total cost $187.00 AUD including medication and transport for 10 children. The medical costs were covered by Andrew Brown's project and Global Support Association Inc covered for transport and attending the clinic with the children. Amazing how around $200 can change 10 children's lives.

We also followed up to ensure that the children were taking their medication properly.

﻿Ongoing and Future Health and Medical Care﻿

New Intakes - Health Check Ups. It is very difficult to get to understand any health issues amongst the children. Language issues make it difficult to discuss these personal issues and the girls particularly get very embarrassed. On the surface, they actually all appear quite well and not malnourished as you would expect but to really understand any health issues that might hamper their learning ability such as poor eyesight or poor hearing or just undernourishment we are proposing that we start with the commencement of the new school year in September and do an assessment of the new intakes as they come in. We would have both a Lao and an English Speaking western volunteer for translation and recording. This assessment will ensure each child has a proper check up with a doctor and nurse to identify any issues which may need attention.

This we can do for around US$10 per child. If the new intake is around 140 children then the cost would be around US$1400. We feel however that this would be a step in the right direction and we can keep records of the children in English and Lao. This process, depending on funding and depending on how many children would take 3 - 6 weeks full time. Any volunteers?

Intake Check Ups and ongoing check-ups

At that time of intakes, we would also like to ensure that each child who arrives has at least the basics and we record their possessions. That is personal items such as soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, towel etc, a blanket, a mattress and pillow and bed mat as well as a mosquito net and a newly repaired bed. We can also take this opportunity of ensuring that each child has at least the basic school supplies, 2 sets of underclothes, shoes, socks, clothes and jackets from our quarter master store of donated clothes. The cost for this could also be around US$30 per child as sometimes the children arrive with nothing but not all children are in this situation. At least then they have a start equal to the others. So for a total cost of US$5000 approx we could start the new intakes off with a very basic kit of what they need. This would be a much fairer way than the present system and we may not need to supply everything to everyone.

Once this is in place, we then could have a systematic way or ensuring that all the children have at least their very basic needs provided for each year.

We need a Volunteer or a Volunteer couple!!!Apart from funding which we hope to raise from ongoing donations we would like someone to facilitate the checks and recording and make it happen. This would mean a volunteer or preferably a couple (perhaps retired or on holidays) who could spend 3 - 6 weeks organizing transport, making a time at the doctors for perhaps 10 children a day, transporting the children and using a Lao interpreter/volunteer to help with this.

This would be somewhere in September - December 2015. The person/s don't have to be a nurse - but could be an advantage but more importantly someone who can organize, facilitate and make decisions and understand that the conditions at the facility are well under standard. If we don't have enough funding then it would need to be recorded - who gets what urgently as funds come in. Transport to and from the facility for volunteers, back and forth to medical facilities etc would be covered by the Global Support Association Inc. but accommodation, air fares, meals etc would have to be borne by the volunteers. You will be given assistance by the association in the full requirements and operational procedures in order to help facilitate as quickly as possible. We expect you would seek accommodation in Luang Prabang which is really a beautiful place to be in, with lots of nice restaurants and quite inexpensive as a holiday destination - depending on your choices.